The common practice in the installation of underground utilities such as water lines and the like is to provide access to valves or the like and, a tubular housing is buried in the ground so that the interior of the housing provides access to the buried equipment from the surface. The open upper end of such tubular housings, commonly referred to as "utility boxes" is generally provided with a removable cover lid disposed in substantially flush relationship with the top surface of the ground. Such utility boxes are frequently installed in streets, walks and the like so as to subject such utility boxes to repeated loads as a result of the traffic moving over such boxes.
Such utility boxes, which may include valve boxes, monument housing boxes, etc., are usually formed of metal, concrete or plastic and as a result of the loading action of such traffic on the boxes, there is a tendency for such boxes to gradually sink into the ground over a period of time, with the result that the area of the street or pavement adjacent to and/or including the box settles creating undesirable depressions in the street surface with attendant destructive affects on both the utility box itself and vehicles traveling thereover as well as creating a safety hazard for pedestrians or the like.